Where did your schooling get you??

This is a bit of a private/public school thread. I've just looked up the cost of the local private secondary school for my sons. The high school here doesn't have the best rep but I think neither did mine and I ended up ok. I'm in two minds about it.

I'm a single mother so my income is a bit limited and for that reason I'm starting to save now (they are only 5 & 2). It's looking like it will cost about $50,000 plus extra subject charges depending on what they choose (obviously based on today's prices). I feel if I had to make the choice today and could afford it they would be going to the private school based solely on reputation.

If I choose not to send them there I'll use the money towards uni or something else for them but I wanted to do a bit of a 'where are they now' and do you think it was money well spent on your parents behalf.

I'll start ....

I went to a public high school I'm now a primary school teacher.

My eldest sister went to a private girls boarding school she is also a teacher but high school.

My sister often says she wishes our parents didn't waste their money with her schooling.

I went to a public school and ended up in admin working in records management for a gov agency, although now Im a sahm.
My estate agent went to the VERY expensive private girls school.
My point being, we both ended up in similar positions and pay scales, yet her parents paid massive amounts for her education. If you are going to succeed, you will no matter which school you went to.

I went to a public school and ended up in admin working in records management for a gov agency, although now Im a sahm.
My estate agent went to the VERY expensive private girls school.
My point being, we both ended up in similar positions and pay scales, yet her parents paid massive amounts for her education. If you are going to succeed, you will no matter which school you went to.

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That's kind of what I was thinking too. Just given my sister and I. Both teachers - different schooling.

Public school (but I left home at 17 and ended up quitting before completing the HSC). I went to tafe and met my husband (who did finish his HSC but not with enough subjects to get into Uni). We left school after graduation and when we both worked it has been as unskilled labor. That said as unskilled labor DH gets to spend more time at home, which is where he would rather be
My mum though barely got through the public system, went back to tafe, became a teacher when I was a teenager and has done very well for herself. I agree that if you have the drive to succeed a public education will get you there
My own kids will go to public, I'll also work with them at home and arrange extra curricular activities if they are interested in learning music or doing sports

My brothers both were catholic high school. Not a good one. One became a nurse and the other a journalist (had to start a different degree first before got in).

My sister and I wereboth state high schools (but was BSHS which is considered better than many private schools). I've had a successful career in law and she took years to work out what she wanted to do and floundered a lot. She's now doing social work.

I believe private can be good for those kids who possibly need an extra push that they may not get at a large public school. I thrived at high school whereas y sister just coasted through.

DH and I are both massive public system supporters but we may send our kids to a private high school as our local public isn't very good.

I was private school educated and while I don't necessarily think children will do better at private as opposed to public academically, I have always noticed how my school friends write and speak well, have good grammar, and definitely stand out to me as the better educated in that respect. We had quite a small final year though and I believe the school is much bigger now which would deter me sending DS there tbh. Public high schools have much bigger class sizes and the kids generally come from all walks of life and are more street wise - we were pretty sheltered in that respect.

But educationally/future career-wise, I don't think it makes much difference. It's a very individual/personality type hung to chose a career and no school will ultimately influence how studious a student wants to be.

* A child with great social skills will make contacts at the private school that could prove invaluable in the business world
- example, I know a man that went to a private school on a rugby scholarship and he now owns a nationwide transport (trucks) business. I've been told that the contacts he made at school really helped him when getting started and expanding his business.

* A child that doesn't fit the norm might need something a little different and fall through the cracks in a standard public school.
- in this instance, any old private school wouldn't really help matters. You would need to look for an alternative school where the teaching methods could really help that particular child.

I've also heard of suggestions that one could do much better by using the money that the private school would've cost to hire a private tutor instead.

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In closing, in my opinion, the only clear benefit that the private school offers that the public school doesn't is prestigious contacts that may benefit the child in their adult business life.

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I believe it comes down to a person's internal drive. I left home at 14, had 2 part time jobs, continued at school, went to cr*p public schools and went on to uni to get both undergrad and post grad degrees as well as a post grad dip. I paid for it myself by working as I didn't get fee help. I work in mental health and if I wasn't community minded I could earn a fair bit of money. I'm also a trainer in counselling and I have a reasonable business sense. I remember looking around at my peers and their older siblings thinking, I want a life where I can financially support myself and not struggle. I think it was irrelevant whether my schooling was public or private.

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